Folsom Prison Blues

by Johnny Cash • Lesson #72 • May 28, 2017

About this lesson

Let’s learn how to play Folsom Prison Blues by Johnny Cash! In video lesson I’ll teach the chords, strumming pattern, tabs for the intro, and even how to strum with alternating bass notes. Note, this song will need a capo on the 1st fret if you want to play along with the Cash album version. Otherwise, you can leave the capo behind and play it in the key of E. Best of luck!

0:00 Playthrough
0:44 Chords needed
1:41 Verse structure w/ simple strum
2:50 Intro riff
3:40 Strumming w/ alternating bass notes
5:43 Farewell

Licensed Song Sheet 2 pages

Follow along with my print-friendly guide for this song! It’s available for purchase at Musicnotes.com, the web’s leading provider of licensed sheet music.

On the fence? Here's a guide I made showing the purchase & print process, including answers to common questions about my song sheets.

Buy at Musicnotes.com

Play-Along Practice Track

Here’s a 5-6 minute jam track you can use when practicing this song. It loops through the 11-measure sequence over and over again, with drums + guitar holding down a steady beat, always showing you the current chord. You can use this to practice your strumming, the solo, singing, or anything else! Note, this is in the Key of E (no capo) for simpliciity.

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Folsom Prison Blues

About this lesson

Licensed Song Sheet 2 pages

Play-Along Practice Track

Unlock My Secret Stash!

Browse Related Lessons

Enjoy My Lessons? Show Your Support!

Looking for More Song Lessons?

Featured Courses

Guitar for Beginners

Beginner Chord Guide

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Fun & Helpful Tools I've Made

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Key Master

Blank Tabs

Subscribe to my YouTube channel

Recent Lessons